If your child is in 7th, 8th, or 9th grade, you're not behind — and you're not too early. You're approaching college the same way you've approached every other parenting milestone: you want to understand what's coming before it arrives.
Schedule an Intro Conversation →20 minutes, no commitment, no pressure.
We spent decades inside university enrollment offices. We reviewed thousands of applications. We watched the patterns repeat.
The families who arrived at junior year already understanding how admissions works, how financial aid is structured, and what their student actually wanted — those families made calmer, more strategic decisions that reflected the student's real interests.
The families who waited found themselves reacting to timelines they couldn't control. Course selections already locked in. Extracurriculars chosen without direction. Financial aid conversations starting too late. Family discussions about college happening for the first time under pressure.
That's the gap we built SUM TOTAL to close.
This program is for families who prepare — not because they're anxious, but because that's how they parent.
Most college counselors won't return your call until junior year. Most schools don't have the resources to guide families before then. The industry has decided you should wait. We built SUM TOTAL because we disagree.
You may be wondering whether your 8th grader's course selections actually matter. Whether the extracurriculars your student is drawn to will "count." Whether there are financial decisions you should be thinking about now.
This isn't about getting ahead. It's about not starting behind.
Starting in 8th or 9th grade doesn't mean rushing your child toward applications. It means your family enters high school with a shared understanding of what's ahead — so when the decisions start to matter, you've already had the conversations.
Students, Parents, and the Family — Each Has a Voice. Our program includes dedicated sessions with the student, with parents, and with the whole family together — because each relationship needs its own space.
Your 8th or 9th grader will work one-on-one with their counselor in sessions designed to meet them where they are. This isn't test prep. It isn't college applications. It's the beginning of a conversation about who they are and who they're becoming. Students explore the difference between curiosities and genuine interests, build language to talk about their goals, and gain confidence.
Parents meet separately with the counselor to build the context needed to support your student effectively. You'll learn how the admissions landscape actually works, develop a clearer picture of your student's strengths and learning style, and align your expectations with what the process actually requires.
The family sessions are where it comes together. Parents and students create what we call a better dinner table conversation — one built on shared understanding rather than assumptions, on curiosity rather than pressure.
8th Grade: Explore Curiosity / Family Alignment
Total Session Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
The goal: a better dinner table conversation — one built on curiosity rather than pressure.
Families with siblings approaching high school: ask about our sibling rate during your introductory conversation.
9th Grade: Academic Direction / Career Exploration
Total Session Time: 4 hours
By the end of Early Risers, your student enters high school with confidence and self-awareness. You enter it with clarity about what's ahead. And your family has a foundation of communication that will carry you through the decisions that come next.
Most importantly, you gain time — the one resource that can't be created at the last minute.
We accept a limited number of Early Risers families each semester.
If your student is in 7th, 8th, or 9th grade, this is the window — the time when exploration is still possible without pressure, when course decisions can be made with intention, and when your family can build the communication habits that will matter most.
Schedule an Intro Conversation →As your student advances, our programs grow with them.